This invention relates to dental apparatus, and more particularly, to a dental pin system, including dental pins secured in a mounting adaptor, which can be received within a shank whose other end is operatively connected to a handpiece or manual driver.
Dental pins are utilized in dental procedures for securing a superstructure upon a tooth stub. The tooth stub may be initially prepared with a number of apertures. The dental pins are threaded into the apertures with a portion of the dental pins projecting above the tooth stub. The superstructure is then built onto the tooth stub with the upper portions of the dental pins being used to retain the superstructure placed onto the tooth stub.
One type of dental pin that has been utilized has a plurality of sections, each functionally serving as a separate dental pin. The sections are separated by reduced diameter frangible throats serving as shear points. One such dental pin is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,675,328, assigned to the assignees of the present invention. In that patent, the plurality of dental pin sections have an enlarged head portion at their upper end, which head portion is directly inserted into the lower end of a shank. The upper end of the shank is available for insertion into a driving member, such as a handpiece or manual driver. Such system has been available as the TMS Thread Mate System.
An improvement in the multiple section pin is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,101. In such patent, the upper end or head portion of the multiple sectioned pin includes an outer peripheral edge, which is arcuately shaped. Upon insertion of the pin in the shank, the pin can sway or pivot within the shank and thereby aid in the insertion of the pin in the aperture in the tooth stub. This pin system is available as the Link series pins.
In the various pin systems, it is typical to have the pin securely inserted within the shank portion whereby the pin and shank portion is available as a single unit device. To some extent this is convenient, since the shank is loaded directly into the handpiece and already includes a pin projecting from the end of the shank. However, it also means that the shanks must be continuously thrown away after the use of each pin, and the shanks are therefore not reusable.